Auburn softball defeats Alabama State 5-3

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 22/22 Auburn Tiger softball
team defeated Alabama State, 5-3, Wednesday night in its final non-conference
game of the 2014 season. Auburn found itself down 3-0 early in the first inning
after a Hornet home run, but battled back to score four in the first two
innings and then one more in the sixth off nine hits for the victory.

Throughout the game, Auburn softball was helping raise money
for the East Alabama Medical Center as part of its Strikeout Cancer campaign.
Over $400 dollars were raised during the game for cancer research and members
of the Auburn softball staff and players wore pink in support of cancer
awareness.

"What we're out here supporting is the cause," Auburn head
coach Clint Myers said. "For a female sport where breast cancer is very
relevant, anything we can do to stop or cure this dreadful disease is what we
want to do. I've had friends, who were young, and died of breast cancer and
that's not supposed to happen. Anything we can do to eliminate this type of
disease, we have to support."

Head women's golf coach and cancer survivor, Kim Evans was
on hand to throw out the first pitch tonight in support of the Strikeout Cancer
campaign.

"Coach (Kim) Evans is a phenomenal individual," Myers said.
"She emulates exactly what it means to be an Auburn Tiger. She's got the
commitment, the drive and the heart and everything you would expect and want.
To come out and throw the first pitch for us, we're honored. She had this
disease that we pray nobody ever gets again, and she fought it. She's a
fighter, a competitor and she beat it. That's what we wanted to do, recognize
the people that have beaten this awful disease. Life is so precious. These
people emulate what we want out of our ladies."

As for the game itself, Auburn donned its pink jerseys and
found itself in a hole early as Alabama State took a 3-0 lead off a three-run
home run by Meagan Dixon. The Tigers' starting pitcher, senior Hilary Mavromat
was able to settle down and get out of the inning, then went on to pitch two
more scoreless innings on the way to her second win of the year.

Auburn came right back in the bottom half of the first,
scoring two on a couple of hits by redshirt junior Morgan Estell and sophomore
Austyn West. Estell led off the inning with a single through the right side and
then advanced around on a Kasey Cooper walk and then a Madi Gipson ground out.
Gipson was awarded the RBI on the play, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

West made it one more, scoring Cooper from second on the
single through the left side for her only RBI of the game, giving her 17 for
the season.

The Orange and Blue took the lead in the bottom of the
second, which was jump started by a lead-off double by sophomore Kelsey
Bogaards. It's only Bogaards' second double of the year and fifth extra-base
hit of the season. After her, the speedy Ashley Leon and Tiffany Howard both
beat out infield singles, scoring Bogaards to tie the game at 3-3. Howard
finished the game 2-for-3, marking her seventh multi-hit game this year.

With Leon on third and Howard on second, AU took the 4-3
lead after Cooper hit a high fly ball to left field, nearly going out for a
home run, but it was plenty deep to score Leon. Cooper now has 62 RBI this
year, still good for second on the team behind Branndi Melero.

Neither team was able to push across a run in the middle
innings, but Auburn did add one more in the bottom of the sixth. After two
quick outs, Howard was clutch getting on base before stealing second, her third
swipe of the year. She was able to advance to third and eventually scored as
the ball ricocheted off her leg from the throw from the catcher and ended up
rolling all the way into the outfield. With her two hits tonight, Howard now
has 11 hits in the last six games.

Auburn returns to the home field on Friday to face Texas
A&M in its final home conference series of the year. Friday's game one is
slated for a 6 p.m. start at Jane B. Moore Field. Saturday and Sunday's games
will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday will also be Senior Day for Hilary Mavromat, Maris
Medina and Kristyn Richards.